May 21, 2018. Boston, MA. According to reports from Spain’s El Pais newspaper and the Associated Press, Pope Francis has reportedly told a gay male survivor of clerical sexual abuse that his sexual orientation comes from God. Juan Carlos Cruz said that in a private meeting about the Chilean sexual abuse scandal, Pope Francis said, “Look Juan Carlos, the pope loves you this way. God made you like this and he loves you.”
At this point, the Vatican is declining to confirm or deny the remarks.
Remarks from March 9, 2018 Teleconference (in order):
Kate McElwee, Executive Director, Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC)
Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director, DignityUSA
Mary E. Hunt, Co-director, Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)
Boston, January 18, 2018. DignityUSA, the organization of Catholics committed to justice, equality and full inclusion of LGBTQI people in the Church and society, vehemently objected to the Trump Administration’s creation of a “Conscience and Religious Freedom Division” within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today. The office was established to support health care workers who refuse to treat certain kinds of people or perform certain procedures they believe violate their religious or moral beliefs.
“This is Why LGBTQI Catholics and Families Feel Unwelcome in Our Church.”
June 21, 2017. Boston, MA. Leaders of DignityUSA, the organization of Catholics committed to justice, equality and full inclusion of LGBTQI Catholics in the Church and society, decry the “Decree Regarding Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ and Related Pastoral Issues” recently promulgated by Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. The Decree outlines policies for all Catholic institutions in the Diocese when dealing with people in same-sex marriages.
May 5, 2017. Boston, MA. The Executive Order on Religious Freedom signed by President Donald Trump did not contain the explicitly anti-LGBTQI provisions that were part of leaked early drafts of the Order. However, leaders of DignityUSA, the organization of Catholics working for equality, justice and full inclusion of LGBTQI people in the Church and society, are warning that there are ominous signals that hard-won rights could soon be rolled back.
This letter to the editor from DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke appeared in the January 13, 2017 print issue of National Catholic Reporter. It was written in response to an article by Thomas Reese, SJ entitled “Time to Compromise on Gay Rights and Religious Freedom.”
Well-intentioned but Problematic
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy is releasing a new document (dated December 8, 2016) entitled “The Gift of the Priestly Vocation,” which is a set of guidelines for priestly formation. The document notes, “The Holy Father Francis has approved the present General Executive Decree and has ordered its publication.”
November 4, 2016—“DignityUSA is deeply disappointed by Pope Francis’ recent reaffirmation of Pope John Paul II's statement that the ordination of women will never be possible in the Catholic Church,” said the organization’s executive director, Marianne Duddy-Burke.
Indianapolis, IN. October 2, 2016. In remarks at a gathering of Catholics in Georgia, Pope Francis termed what he calls “gender theory” “the great enemy of marriage.” He also said “the whole world is at war trying to destroy marriage,” not with arms, “but with ideas.” He repeated his claim that the Church has “to defend ourselves from ideological colonization.”
